Customer Reviews

An Irish Christmas

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This has quickly become one of my family's favorite Christmas albums because it is lively, upbeat, and melodious. The Rovers have a great beat and rollicking voices and they do a terrific job with both the fun songs and the traditional carols. I particularly like Bells Over Belfast for its hopeful message in the current depressing situation with the Peace Agreement but it is also nice to hear upbeat renditions of God Rest Ye Merry, Away In A Manger, We Three Kings, and Silent Night along with less-often-heard All Through The Night, The Christmas Traveller, and What Child Is This. And last, but not least, is Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake, which is a cute addition to the Christmas repertoire. All in all, this CD will leave you feeling good and full of Christmas spirit.

These men obviously had great fun recording this album - there are plenty of upbeat songs including Christmas in Killarney, Miss Fogarty's Christmas cake, Good King Wenceslas and Grandma got run over by a reindeer - but they also show that they are well capable of singing carols with the appropriate respect.

I particularly like Bells over Belfast, a song that one of them wrote themselves, showing that Christmas is a time of peace in that troubled city. Perhaps one day they will be able to sing Happy Xmas (war is over) and mean it, but that could be some years away so it's not included here.

The holly bears the crown is actually the traditional classic The holly and the ivy with a different tune but (I think) the same lyrics, and it works very well.

My favorite song here, however, is Miss Fogarty's Christmas cake, It sure sounds tasty !!!!

There are many other wonderful songs, some obscure, some famous, all with that distinctive Irish flavor.

This is a great, generally upbeat Christmas album which will work as background music, regardless of whatever else is happening, but if you give it dedicated attention, it has plenty to keep you interested.

I love Christmas albums and this is one of my favorite albums. Songs included:

1. Bells Over Belfast - one one the best songs on the album. You'll find yourself humming it to yourself during the day.
2. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
2. Christmas Caroling
4. Silent Night
5. Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake - another one of my favorite songs on this album. Very funny song.
6. Angles We have Heard on High
7. The Christmas Traveller
8. Away in a Manger
9. The Holly Bears The Crown
10. Christmas in Killarnay - yet another one of my favorite songs
11. What Child is This?
12. We Three Kings
13. Good King Wencestas
14. All Through the Night
15. Down Among the Bushes of Jerusalem
16. Grandms Got Run Over by a Reindeer
17. It's Christmas Time Again
18. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Whether it is "Christmas in Killarney," where Santa is "one of the boys," or the remotest corner of the world, anyone who is Irish or loves Irish traditions will celebrate the Christmas season with delight if they have this CD. The Rovers pay homage to the traditional songs of the season--"Silent Night," "Away in a Manger," and "Angels We Have Heard on High"--bringing a "new" sounds to these old favorites by using traditional Irish folk instruments--guitars, pennywhistle, Uilleann pipes, flute, accordion, and even the saw. Their beat is insistent, almost inspiring hand-clapping, and even the serious songs are sung with a spirit that shows how the "good news" informs the lives of the people of the countryside.

It is in their off-beat and original songs that they Rovers really hit their stride, however. "Bells Over Belfast," written by Rover George Millar (with Jimmy Ferguson) in 1963, begins with a traditional carillon, then immediately takes a rollicking turn with accordian and drums as the song takes wing and the toe-tapping starts. "Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake" shows us the Fogarty family home during the holidays, as Miss Fogarty presents her cake, filled with "plums, prunes, cherries," but the cake has a crust that seems nailed on with glue, and those who eat it soon wish they hadn't. In "The Christmas Traveler" a young boy tells good tidings of great joy, singing "Ha-la-la-lay, Halleluia," a joyous "folky" song about the birth of Jesus, told colloquially.

The most interesting song, to me, is "Down Among the Bushes of Jerusalem," a song of revolution in which Jesus is depicted as a "rebel through and through," hiding in the bushes to escape the soldiers of the king who track him because prophets have foretold the overthrow the royal family by a boy. The parallels between this tale and the revolution in Ireland against the British crown are unmistakable.

Subtlety is not a strong suit of the Rovers, but their enthusiasm, their toe-tapping beat, and their upbeat rhythms played on traditional instruments announce the joys of the holiday season in the Irish countryside more effectively than more somber productions. A wonderful celebration of the season, this CD is one of the happiest recordings ever made for some of the season's most spirited and most sacred songs. n Mary Whipple

Songs of Christmas, another Rovers CD
Carol of the Drum: A New Age Christmas, Chieftains CD
Silent Night: A Christmas in Rome, Chieftains, CD
Irish Christmas, various artists
Home for Christmas, Irish Tenors CD

Love, love, love this great mixture of traditional and non-traditional Christmas carols. Typically I tend to like very traditional, "high church" Christmas carols, but I am finding myself listening to The Irish Rovers An Irish Christmas again and again.

I have The Irish Rovers Songs From a Shamrock Shore and very much enjoy their music and voices, so I shouldn't be surprised that I really love their take on Christmas.

The Rovers have deftly mixed very traditional carols like: Silent Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Away in a Manger with very non-traditional carols such as: Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer and Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake.

Included is also a lovely rendition of the Welsh classic, All Through The Night. I purchased this CD specifically because it included this carol.

This is a very fun, uplifting collection. It just makes me want to get up and dance a jig!

WHAT A WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF CHRISTMAS MUSIC! THIS CD HAS TRADITIONAL AND NO TRADITIONAL MUSIC. I LIKE IT SO MUCH THAT I BOUGHT FIVE MORE TO GIVE AS GIFTS. THIS IS THE IRISH ROVERS AT THEIR BEST. I'M ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT CHRISTMAS SO I CAN HEAR THE CD AGAIN!

Would you believe I really wanted The Clancy Brothers Christmas CD but ordered The Irish Rovers by mistake, Well I am so glad I made the mistake. I can't tell you how much I love this CD ,the songs are ones we know and some that we don't.But every one just touches your heart. mscookiev

One of the family's favourite CDs to trot out at Christmas, this 2002 release produced by band member George Millar cannot be found by searching in Amazon under album title. You'll get all kinds of hits with An Irish Christmas - but not this gem. They may wish to correct that if they want to boost sales.

As for the album itself, if you like the music in general of this Irish-Canadian band which took their name from the song The Irish Rover way back in 1963, you'll love the 18 tracks presented here which include their interpretation of familiar traditional carols/songs (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 11 to 13 and 18). and covers of a couple of novelty pop hits led by a rousing Christmas In Killarney, first a hit for both Percy Faith & His Orchestra and Dennis Day back in 1950, and Grandma Got Run Over By A reindeer, first introduced by Elmo 'N' Patsy in 1983.

But what really attracted my interest were the unfamiliar songs, aptly described in the liner notes by Joseph F. Laredo this way: "many traditional Christmas favorites are lovingly revisited here, but one of the more intriguing aspects of this collection is the inclusion of several worthy songs that are seldom encountered on holiday anthologies ..."

Band member George Millar's compositions Bells Over Belfast and It's Christmas Time Again, two toe-tapping originals sure to get you in the mood, are augmented by other rousing tunes like the Irish oldies Christmas Caroling, with new lyrics by George, Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake, arranged and adapted by George, Wilcil McDowell and Wallace Hood, and The Holly Bears The Crown, along with The Christmas Traveller.

Sure to liven up any Christmas gathering ... and don't you know that Santa Claus is one of the boys from home?

When I was a kid, I used to sing along to 'The Unicorn' also by the Irish Rovers so with the advent of the internet and Amazon, I went searching for it and found the Irish Rovers Greatest Hits which naturally contained the Unicorn song and many other excellent ones that quickly became added to my list of favorites.

Now I finally have received their Christmas album (listening to it now as I type) and find it to be another great collection of hits with the Irish lilt added. As an aficionado of all Christmas music, I was delighted to find that the Rovers had put out a great album like this. My favorites are Christmas in Killarney and the lovely Bells Over Belfast.

You don't have to like Irish music to enjoy the fine singing of the Rovers. I guarantee you'll enjoy this album. 5 hearty stars!

The Irish Rovers are a fun Irish band, they make you want to sing along and have a good time. This album is a great change of pace to the traditional Christmas carols presented at that time of year.